Western Michigan to host rival Central Michigan Saturday in 86th 'Battle for the Cannon'

KALAMAZOO – Western Michigan junior receiver Daniel Braverman had heard about the Broncos' rivalry with Central Michigan, but didn't fully understand it until he lined up against the Chippewas as a freshman.

"I'm from Florida and I didn't really know about it at first," Braverman said during Tuesday's press luncheon. "But my first time when I got in to play, and I wasn't even doing anything on my route and the ball wasn't thrown to me and I got hit right in my face. I knew from that point on it's a tough game and it's real physical. But it's fun and awesome to be a part of something like that."

The Broncos (1-3, 0-0 Mid-American Conference) host the Chippewas (2-3, 1-0 MAC) Saturday at Waldo Stadium for the 87th meeting between in-state rivals in what is dubbed the 'Battle for the Cannon.' The game will be televised locally on the CW7 as well as streamed online at ESPN3.com.

CMU enters the matchup following a huge 29-19 win over perennial MAC power Northern Illinois. WMU is coming off a bye week, and head coach P.J. Fleck said his team is ready for a game that has major implications in the MAC West Division standings.

"They can't wait to play again....You get into 'Chip week' and here we are," Fleck said. "It's a very special rivalry. It's very important. It's one of the best rivalries in college football. A lot of our players come to Western Michigan so they can play in this rivalry. There are trophies on the line. There's standings on the line in the MAC race, and it's early and everyone wants to jump ahead. Central obviously did that last week.

"So there's a lot riding on it. But it's the most important game of the season — why? Because its the next one. That's the way our team approaches things."

The Broncos hold a 46-37-2 advantage in the series, rallying to win last season's game in Mt. Pleasant by a score of 32-20.

"It was a tough game like every Central-Western game is," Braverman said. "It was real physical and you can never count the other team out. It was awesome to win that."

Braverman, who currently leads the country in receptions (50) and receptions per game (12.5), wants to help end the current streak of road teams winning the 'Battle for the Cannon' — now at three consecutive years.

"We always want to defend home field. It's our house," Braverman said. "We love the support of our fans and we want to go out there and defend our house and keep the trophy with us."

Nick Buckley can be reached at nbuckley@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley